1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for providing electronic commerce using the Internet, and more particularly, to a system and method for managing customer address information in electronic commerce using the Internet that are capable of effectively preventing leakage of customers' detailed address information due to hacking or a malicious program by receiving the customers' detailed address information from customer terminals connected over the Internet, producing a corresponding unique address number, and separately storing and managing the produced unique address number and the corresponding detailed address information in separate databases (DBs).
2. Discussion of Related Art
Recently, rapid development of the Internet has led to increased electronic commerce in which goods are purchased online. The electronic commerce involves a variety of goods, including daily-use products, household goods, electronic products, etc.
The electronic commerce has been developed with enhanced communication networks, and in particular, provides sellers and buyers with other benefits not provided by traditional commerce systems.
The electronic commerce allows sellers not to have a separate large warehouse for storing goods, which reduces facility budget and accordingly prices of products.
Meanwhile, not only can buyers shop more conveniently, rather than visiting a store, but goods can also be purchased at lower prices.
In online shopping mall websites for electronic commerce, customers input their personal information in a web browser for goods delivery, service performance, and payment in purchasing goods or services on the Internet.
The customers' input personal information is encrypted using an encryption scheme and sent to a credit-card payment company or a credit-card payment bank.
Also, detailed information, such as purchase content, addresses, customers' (sellers' or buyers') telephone numbers, is sent to a server of a shopping mall website for electronic commerce over the Internet. When customers subscribe as members, the customers' personal information is stored in a customer database (DB) of the server.
In most shopping mall sites, a customer's personal information that is recorded and sent on the web browser of the customer terminal when the customer subscribes as a member generally includes, for example, an ID, a password, a name, an address, a telephone number, a social security number, as required inputs, and may also include a company name, a position in a company, a cellular phone number, hobbies, etc.
As described above, the customer stores his or her personal information in a customer DB interworking with a server of an electronic commerce website after subscribing as a member, such that when the customer desires to purchase or sell goods or services on the Internet, the customer's personal information is output on a web browser of a customer terminal for the customer's convenience.
Accordingly, a customer only needs to record types and numbers of goods, and not his or her personal information.
However, when the customer DB of the electronic commerce website is hacked by a hacker due to its poor security, that is, when the customer DB is hacked once, customers' personal information, i.e., important information such as an address, a social security number, or a credit card number will be exposed in a defenseless state.
Accordingly, since a broker for performing electronic commerce with customers may be seriously damaged, both sellers and buyers dislike storing their personal information in the server.